There are two Julian Strawthers for the Nuggets to sort out when to use this season.
The Strawther familiar to Denver is the free-swinging gunner, trailing the play in transition to hunt 3s or running off weak-side screens or waiting for the ball in the corner. If it finds him, he’s usually shooting it, because that’s what he’s on the floor to do. It’s the Strawther whose role became redundant last year with the addition of Tim Hardaway Jr., the Strawther whose importance has now been renewed by Hardaway’s departure.
“Obviously, I’m comfortable playing off the ball and playing in pin-downs, close-outs, things like that as a spot-up shooter,” he said last week.
Then there’s the Strawther of the mind, a more aspirational version of the 24-year-old and possibly a more necessary version this season. He’s flashed before, and he’s announcing his presence again this preseason. This is the Strawther who’s occasionally asked to play with the ball in his hands, to use his yo-yo-like handles to penetrate the paint and create an advantage.
“I feel real comfortable in those positions,” he said. “Those are spots that the coaching staff has been putting me in all summer and preparing me for, just in case I’m needed for those ball-handling responsibilities. But I know what my main role on this squad is. I’m gonna try to execute that at a high level.”
The 2026-27 Nuggets have a shortage of guard depth. It took just one preseason game to reveal that. Jamal Murray was out for personal reasons against Utah, throwing Tyus Jones into the starting lineup and new two-way signee Ryan Nembhard into backup point guard duties. Strawther also ended up in the mix throughout a 109-97 loss last Sunday, especially when Nembhard got into foul trouble.
“With Jamal not playing, it was almost a good way to force us to do stuff like that with Jules,” coach David Adelman said. “… Some of that chase action stuff where you throw it ahead and get it back, if he gets to his right hand, we all know how successful he can be.”
Strawther led the team in scoring with 14 points on 13 shots that night. He followed it up with a more efficient 15-point performance Tuesday in Utah, where he continued to play on the ball quite a bit, even in lineups with Jones and DeMar DeRozan.
The Nuggets know they’re one Murray injury away from looking thin in the backcourt at any given moment. They’ve been encouraging their shooting guards to develop as ball-handlers, knowing Strawther or Christian Braun might have to take on more table-setting responsibilities this season. Even when Murray is available — which was almost every game last year — Adelman’s goal is not to overburden the star guard. Role players like Braun and Strawther are less likely to be picked up full-court than Murray, assuming they’re guarded by lesser defenders.
The extent of Braun’s on-ball usage will probably be to bring it up the court, which he’s done before, or to attack the rim in straight-line drives when the defense is scrambling to rotate. Strawther has a bit more natural creativity off the bounce. He’s always been comfortable getting to his floater. He has a spindly style of sizing up a defender with his dribble, always trying to glide downhill to his right. The “chase action” referenced by Adelman is a simple but reliable setup — the guard feeds his big at the elbow, then chases his own pass to receive a handoff with momentum.
Strawther says he still needs to diversify what he can do with the ball in those situations, though.
Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther sets the play during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
“I think a lot of the time for me, I’m just a natural scorer. So being put in them playmaking situations, I’m thinking score first,” he said. “Just trying to be more of a playmaker, being able to make plays for guys. Hit the roller. Hit the skip (pass). Things like that.”
His processing speed will be the key to that development. Seeing the entire court while operating with the ball can be deceptively difficult for young NBA players. Call it high-speed multitasking. Peyton Watson was faced with it last year, when his role as a ball-handler increased. His scoring skyrocketed; his decision-making remained a bit inconsistent.
Now, Strawther understands he’ll need to overcome his own tunnel vision if he wants to fully expand that aspect of his game. He showed signs of progress Tuesday, twice getting into the paint, collapsing the defense and spraying an assist to Alpha Diallo in the corner.
“It’s reading the help side and low man and understanding who’s helping from where, what (offensive player) guys are helping off of,” Strawther said. “If you’ve got a guy like Cam Johnson in the corner, you want to fire it early so he can get a clean look.”
As he considers those next steps, Strawther also realizes his primary job is to polish what he’s already got, a quick-trigger jump shot that has improved each year in the league. As a rookie, he converted only 29.7% of his 3s. Then, 34.9% of them. Then last season, 38.7%, albeit with a drop in attempts. He played 861 total minutes, down from 1,384 in his second year. He dealt with back pain for multiple months. The more experienced Hardaway took his spot in the rotation.
He has a chance to get that spot back in a contract year. Entering Nuggets training camp, Strawther said he and the team hadn’t discussed an extension yet. If no deal materializes by Oct. 19, he’ll go to restricted free agency next summer. The impression he leaves before then could determine his future in the NBA.
“Super grateful for the opportunity to fight for more opportunity, more playing time,” he said. “Right now, my main focus is just finding ways to contribute and be a guy who’s out there consistently.”
Whichever version of himself it might be that accomplishes that.
Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.